US visas online for Indians from February
by Christine M - January 14, 2010
United States, January 14: Are you an Indian planning to study, live or work in the US? Here comes good news as you just need to go online to make your US visa application.
With the introduction of online application process for submitting US visa applications for Indians, you will need to fill a DS-160 form online.
The new online form replaces three NIV (Non-Immigrant Visa) application forms namely- D-156, 157 and 158.
So, from February 1, all US consular offices and the American Embassy in India will be accepting D-160 form from US visa applicants.
This new high-tech process is being seen as a step towards cutting unnecessary delays in the processing of American visa applications
as all visa applications will be processed and screened before inviting the applicants for interview. The process will get underway from
January 19 onwards.
The much awaited step by the State Department of the United States comes in the wake of significantly increased demand for American
visas in India. There has been an increase of 9 percent in the number of Indians applying for US visas in the year 2008-09 from 94,563 to 103,260.
Nearly 725,000 visas were processed in the year 2007.
Revealing details about the new online visa process, the US Embassy’s minister counselor for consular affairs at the American Embassy, Jim Herman, said that the new online visa application forms will ask only relevant questions from the applicants.
And the new online visa application form will require digital signature in the form of a unique code number from the applicants. If the a travel agent is filling the visa application form, then the name along with the contact information of the concerned person will be required to be filled in.
Also, this online form comes with the facility of being saved and filled in multiple settings.
However, there will be no change in the payment and the schedule, confirmed Jim Herman.
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